NYC Funeral Home Accused Of Displaying Wrong Body At Wake: Report

NEW YORK CITY — A funeral home in Washington Heights is accused of misplacing a man's body and putting another person's body in his coffin at his wake, according to family members and a report.

The alleged incident happened on Thursday at the R.G. Ortiz Funeral Home.

Jose Daniel Diaz Felipe's family arrived at the funeral home for his wake, according to NBC New York.

Felipe's son, Jose Luis Diaz, told the outlet that they opened the coffin and found another man in there.

According to the family, the funeral home initially tried to convince them that the person in the coffin was indeed their father.

Felipe was bald, according to his son and was about 5 foot 3 inches tall.

The man in the coffin had hair and was much taller than the 84-year-old.

Diaz said the funeral home eventually told the family that his father's remains had been cremated and were apparently at the company's main office in the Bronx.

The family has said they are not sure as of now if the remains are Felipe's.

R.G. Ortiz Funeral Homes have been tied to other issues throughout the years, according to the report.

The NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection sued the company after receiving nearly 50 complaints about the condition of the remains of loved ones and misrepresenting or concealing the prices of services offered.

In 2024, the funeral home settled a lawsuit and paid $600,000 to clients and paid $100,000 in civil penalties.

The funeral home has not commented on the incident last week.